Winging it this Super Bowl Sunday: Snacking, chicken and indulgence

31 Jan 2020 --- The upcoming US Super Bowl is one among the nation’s hotly anticipated events of the year, attracting hungry football fans from across the country. Among the deluge of food and drinks consumed at the event, chicken ostensibly remains a snack of preference. Ahead of this Monday's game, the US National Chicken Council (NCC) released its annual Chicken Wing Report, projecting US adults to consume a record-breaking 1.4 billion chicken wings during this Super Bowl LIV weekend.

“Americans’ love for wings only continues to grow. This year’s wing consumption estimate is a 2 percent increase over 2019, meaning US consumers will eat 27 million more wings during this year’s big game weekend versus last year’s,” says The National Chicken Council.

Aiming to understand just how much consumers love their chicken wings, NCC asked wing-eaters from around the nation to describe how they “wing it.” The Council’s report reveals that two thirds of US citizens (65 percent) who eat chicken wings claim they like to do so while watching a major sporting event like the Super Bowl. Half (51 percent) claim that they believe chicken wings should be the official food of the Super Bowl.

Molly Ringwald applies hair and makeup to an avocado.Super snacking
Indulgence remains a hallmark of the spirit of Super Bowl, with this year’s US National Football League (NFL)’s annual championship game featuring a myriad of food and beverage advertisements dominating TV screens nationwide. 

During the Super Bowl, Mtn Dew will showcase Mtn Dew Zero Sugar, the newest offering from the beverage brand, in a thirty second in-game advertisement. The television commercial kicks off an omni-channel marketing campaign that touts the tagline “As Good As the Original, Maybe Even Better” and puts a twist on a scene from the classic Warner Bros. Pictures horror film, The Shining. The ad features actors Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross in a fun re-imagination of the famous “Here’s Johnny” scene from the film.

Also at the event, Pop-Tarts is introducing its brand’s first-ever sweet and salty snacking innovation: Pop-Tarts Pretzel. In a Super Bowl ad starring TV personality Jonathan Van Ness,  the makeover star morphs into an infomercial pitch person inviting consumers to ditch “boring pretzels” and try the Pop-Tarts Pretzel, available in Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar.

Bud Light unveiled “#PostyStore” and “#PostyBar", two new spots featuring Bud Light Seltzer and Grammy-nominated Bud Light fan Post Malone. Instead of a traditional launch, the brand is opening up their “biggest marketing moment of the year.” Bud Light made two comedic ads featuring Post Malone while encouraging its consumers to help determine which of the two commercials to air in the big game.

Meanwhile, Avocados From Mexico (AFM) announced in their first teaser, titled “Tiara,” that it has  partnered with Golden Globe-nominated actress Molly Ringwald for its 2020 Super Bowl advertisement. In the first teaser, Ringwald preps the hair and makeup of an avocado before both actor and avocado “share a Super Bowl moment.” “Our creative concept is a lot of fun and brings together a few of our favorite things – avocados, Molly Ringwald and of course, humor,” says Kevin Hamilton, Head of Brand Marketing, PR & Strategy at Avocados From Mexico. 

By Benjamin Ferrer